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fides1104: uh
fides1104: @spookyscaryskeletons
fides1104: is edie w/ u
spookyscaryskeletons: oh
spookyscaryskeletons: no? i thought she went to find u
fides1104: well she isnt w me
Faith looked up, waved at Max and came to a stop in front of her. Chris had headed off already. "Where were you?" she demanded.
Max waved a hand vaguely. "Just... around."
Faith's lips twisted. "I used to think your thing with convenience store guy was cute, but it's starting to get old."
Max gritted her teeth. "Excuse you. Since when was it my responsibility to look after her? You're the ones who dropped everything to go suck face with our classmates."
Faith's eye twitched but she was distracted by her phone buzzing. The two of them looked down.
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not_ur_power_bank: she's not picking up
spookyscaryskeletons: she prob went back early
spookyscaryskeletons: i dont see tanaka or atsushi either
fides1104: we usually go back tgt tho
sugrjangz: tbf this is our 1st year in jpn
sugrjangz: n we all hv. s/os
spookyscaryskeletons: fuck u i dont
sugrjangz: fuck u u totally doooo
not_ur_power_bank: maybe she went off w atsushi
Hailey and Minnie appeared a few seconds later. "Kyoto's not that unsafe," Minnie told them. "And she can take care of herself. Besides, if she's with Atsushi and Tanaka, they can take care of each other. She's not the type to go off on her own and get into fights."
"You know her parents are going to hold us responsible if anything happens to her, right?"
"Same goes for your parents," Hailey retorted. "And mine. And Minnie's. And Faith's."
"I'm just saying." Max raised her chin. "Don't expect me to keep an eye on her when the three of you skip away to be with your boyfriends. I have a life too."
The ride back passed in stony silence.
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fides1104: shes not back yet
sugrjangz: doesnt she go for walks at like 1am
fides1104: this is diff n u know that
not_ur_power_bank: you're not her mother, faith
not_ur_power_bank: chill
spookyscaryskeletons: yea chill
fides1104: im not talking to u
spookyscaryskeletons: whatever
sugrjangz: shes on a voyage of self discovery
fides1104: not funny
It was past midnight when one of Faith's drones detected movement. But it wasn't coming from the door, but the balcony. Opening her eyes to see pitch black, Faith hopped out of bed, switched on the light, and hobbled out into the corridor. She arrived in the living room just in time to see a dude in a cloak disappear into the sky. That was probably Tanaka, she noted absently.
And then she saw Edith.
"OH MY GOD, WHAT THE FUCK?"
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fides1104: GUYS
fides1104: COME OVER
spookyscaryskeletons: i thought u werent talking to me
fides1104: EDIES INJURED U BITCH
not_ur_power_bank: what???
sugrjangz: i literally just fell asleep
sugrjangz: nvm omw. @not_ur_power_bank @spookyscaryskeletons im comg to ur place 1st
not_ur_power_bank: i thought u said u were going to treat ur chauffeur more humanely
sugrjangz: then ill fucking levitate u over omg
sugrjangz: meet u at ur balcony
not_ur_power_bank: don't forget to bring ur license
THUNDERDOME: im ok actually
fides1104: NO UR NOT
THUNDERDOME: the only part of me thats injured is my dignity
fides1104: image.png
sugrjangz: wow
spookyscaryskeletons: wtf happened to u
THUNDERDOME: hoodlums
fides1104: just come over
"It's literally just a few scratches," Edie said. "Like the license exam or the tournament." She tied her hair into a ponytail, untied it and started retying it again. Minnie wasn't sure if she was aware that her hands were shaking.
"Your hands are shaking," Hailey pointed out.
"They were also shaking right after the license exam and the tournament, what's your point?"
"What happened?" Minnie asked. This discussion was going in circles. Max and Faith had been on the verge of throwing hands while Edie was in the shower and only Hailey's intervention had stopped them from damaging their apartment's very nice TV.
"Okay. So basically, Orochi ran off after we chased the robbers away. I followed her with Tanaka. She went to this, like, dilapidated part of the city and got into a fight with some... I don't know how to put it. They're, like, delinquents? Kids our age, but not in school. And they spend all their time beating the shit out of each other, like, it's nuts."
"Bitch needs therapy," Hailey mumbled. It was clear to Minnie who she was referring to.
"Yeah, but that's not the weirdest thing. Because, like, she knew these people. And they fucking tore her arm off. And she was, like, fully ready to walk it off."
"Her arm," Faith echoed, looking queasy.
"Her arm. I think she's developed, like, a complex from her fight with Feral. She kept going on about protecting us and needing to be stronger." Edie hesitated. "And something about. Being a. Monster?"
Minnie raised her eyebrows and turned slowly to look at the other three girls. Are we going to speak of this?
Hailey shook her head very slightly. Nope.
Faith blinked. No.
Max rolled her eyes. Of course not. Everything else is fair game, though. "Damn," she said, aloud. "That's fucked up."
"No shit." Edie hesitated, visibly considering whether it would damage her cool-girl persona, but decided to take the plunge. "I'm worried about her. When we go to Korea."
"We'll tell the others about it," Hailey said. "I mean. Samson spars with her sometimes, right?"
"Yeah," Minnie confirmed. "Where's she interning?"
"With her cousin," Edie said, and winced. Minnie wisely decided not to ask why she was wincing. "Um, Seiryu. He's a new hero, I think."
"Seiryu." Max snapped her fingers. "Soujyuuro's going there too."
"Chris can keep an eye on her," Faith said. She looked at Hailey. "Yui, too."
"She'll be fine," Minnie said. "Come on. We're only going to be in Korea for two months, tops. And we can fly back every weekend." She nudged Edie with her shoulder. "And you said you missed Seoul."